Brandon Johnson is pictured in a file photo. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

For young people in the city, the start of a new administration at City Hall is both a chance for progress and a moment to call attention to the issues most important to them. 

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson takes “Chicago Tonight” on a tour of the Austin neighborhood on April 13, 2023. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

When he takes office on May 15, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will be the first mayor in nearly a century to call the West Side home.

Young adults practice installing smoke detectors on a piece of dry wall. (Maya Miller / Chicago Tonight)

Young adults from Chicago’s Austin community are learning about fire safety as part of a pilot program aiming to address high crime rates, unemployment and other issues facing residents.

A festival in Columbus Park wraps up a day of activities celebrating opportunity in the Austin community this Friday. (MrHarman / Wikimedia)

Hundreds of summer jobs are cause for celebration. “We want to make sure people know there are a lot of great things happening in this neighborhood besides bullets,” said one organizer of Friday’s event.

Latee Smith was 12 years old when he joined a gang. Now 16, he’s focusing on trying to “make something positive” out of his life. (Maya Miller / Chicago Tonight)

After sustaining a life-threatening gunshot wound, 16-year-old Latee Smith began plotting revenge on his attacker. But a local intervention specialist helped Smith refocus his energy.